hondo in seattle

I didn't. He is the kind of guy who could find a dark cloud on the horizon even on the sunniest day. I wouldn't want him for a friend. I wouldn't want him for a neighbor. And I didn't bother to read his articles when he was at the BN because they contained no news, no new insights, no useful information. They were just the opinion pieces of, to borrow Bruce's term, "a little punk ass." His opinion meant nothing to me.

I was slack jawed during the game wondering who these ringers were dressed up like Bills lineman. I started the game somewhat pessimistically. But when I saw the time they were giving Josh, my confidence grew and grew. But before we get too effusive, a few points: * Apparently, the Pats wanted to their D line to contain more than pressure; * There were several times that a single rusher broke through the offensive wall - but Josh was able to elude him; * Josh checked down faster in this game than in some others.

I got a nice Bills jacket, Bills socks, and a Bills flag which I'm now proudly flying in my Chief-loving neighborhood. Much better than the Bills ugly sweater I got a couple years ago.

Will the connoisseurs of offensive line play please explain: What the heck happened today???

The Dion news is really good. But I really don't see how we're not bigger underdogs given the strengths and weaknesses of these two teams and the comparative Covid lists. What am I missing?

How about Eric Moulds? He's bigger bodied than Duke and probably faster.

I received some nice material gifts from the wife and kiddos today. I even got one from the puppy - though I'm not convinced she actually bought it herself. But researchers in the field of positive psychology say experiences are really make us happy, not things. So here's the experience I want as a belated Christmas gift: I want to watch the Bills humiliate the Pats tomorrow and regain the lead in the AFCE. In the meantime, Merry Christmas to my Mafia brothers and sisters around the globe!

I was at Arrowhead and super enjoyed that game. Since then, my enjoyment has petered out somewhat. A win against the Pats, though, will put me over the moon.

We vaccinated enough people to drive smallpox into oblivion. We could do the same for covid.

I don't wish ill on anyone... except maybe I hope the entire Pats defense tests positive for Covid so our backups fairly go up against their backups.

The overall strength of the Bills coaching staff rivals the overall strength of the Pats coaching staff. As much respect as I have for BB, I don't think being outcoached is a given. We'll see.

Not so sure. They're better equipped to stop our passing attack than we are to stop their running attack. But "on any giving Sunday..." If early on I see the Pats running game getting plugged up and Josh finding receivers downfield (and getting the pass off before getting hit), I'll feel really good about our chances.

I don't think Beane intentionally built the team to beat the Chiefs - but not the Pats. That's silly. With 31 other teams to worry about, no GM would build a team just to beat one other team. I do think Beane intentionally built a passing team: one that both throws the ball well and defends the pass effectively. And the logic for that is simple: the NFL is more and more a passing league. The Bills weren't good at much of anything when Beane came to town. He had to start somewhere and I don't think he's done yet. He's not running around yelling, "Mission Accomplished - I built a Super Bowl team!" But I do think he probably overestimated the quality of our OL. And that mistake is hurting us. We do have a matchup problem against the Pats pass D. Impressively, their pass D is as good as ours. Their defensive strength may negate our offensive strength. But when they're on offense, they can run the ball which is the Achilles heel of our defense. I hardly consider this Judgment Day for McD. It is a HUGE game. We really need to win. But there's no shame in losing to Belichick. Lots of other highly capable coaches have done it. Losing doesn't tell us that McD is not the guy to (eventually) lead us back to the Super Bowl.

Also going with Milano. The Pats will try to run and throw short. Matt will be in the middle of all that and come up big.

It certainly clogs up the line of scrimmage - but there's a lot of space and not a lot of big bodies at the second level.

This is true. It's actually something I tell my kids. But some cities are far, far more interesting than other cities. If I lived in Utica, I'd spend a lot of time running, reading, and doing other things I enjoy. But if I lived in Rome (the one in Italy, not the one down the road from you), I'd be out exploring the great restaurants, museums, historical sites, and all the other attractions.

Brother, this is so NOT true! Spend some time in Seoul, Korea, or Paris, France, and tell me they're the same as Buffalo. The historical, cultural, gastronomical, musical, and sexual divide is enormous. Just domestically speaking, there's a world of difference between LA or NY and Cincinatti. I lived in San Francisco for 6 years and never got bored. I've lived in KC for 6 months and already feel like I'm running out of things to do. Cinci and Buffalo are great towns in their own right. But neither has a fraction of the activities and offerings of the best metros of the world.

It depends on perspective. When you've grown up in exhilarating, cosmopolitan metros like Ames, Fargo, and Athens (OH) - like Joe Burrow has - Cincinnati must seem pretty dull in comparison!

I could be wrong, but I thought I saw statistical breakdowns once that indicated that our backs do better with the QB under center but Josh is more effective from the shotgun. If my memory is right, it's a dilemma. You can't run shotgun when you pass then put Josh under center when you want to run - it telegraphs the call. Sometimes you have to run - and pass - out of a formation that isn't ideal.

I think this is what's been done in the past when we were more afraid of the run and the pass. The thing I don't like about the 5-2 is if the back gets through the LOS, we're in trouble. To borrow an expression from army tactics, I'd rather defend in depth.

Sadly, we're an 8-6 team. I think the Pats will play their hearts out this week. But I don't think any opponent looks at us at their personal Super Bowl.

I had to laugh about the 'far worse humans' remark because I'm in the same boat. When I read stuff like this, I'm amazed at how arrogant idiocy can be: "Thank you for those who support. To everyone else, if you don't get what's happening there is nothing anybody can do for you." But Beas hasn't killed or beaten anybody as far as I know. And I'll cheer loudly every time he gets us a first time or TD. I hope he averages 10 catches a game when he comes back.

Exactly. Defenses think pass first when defending the Bills. They're not worried about Motor. They're worried about Allen, Diggs, Beas, etc. They scheme accordingly.

Good question. When the OL plays decent, we usually win. When they play as bad as they're capable of playing, we usually lose.

I love Beasley as a player. I think his stance on vaccinations is idiotic and harmful. But I don't think anyone should hassle his kids about it.